Live, Laugh, Love
by Rissy298
Summary: Alan has always felt left out from the family. How will two months with his mother's sister change his entire life?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 1**

Alan had been home for a week and he was already fighting with his dad. It seemed as if his brothers could do no wrong and Alan could only do harm. He had dreamed of being a Thunderbird since he was old enough to walk. Ever since the Hood had invaded the island things had never been the same. Alan thought things would be changing for the better. Shortly after giving Alan his pin Jeff decided he needed to finish high school. Now all they ever did was fight. That's why Alan decided to go stay with his Aunt Mary over the summer break.

The last time Alan had seen his Aunt Mary was when she drove to see him at Wharton. Mary was his mother's sister. They weren't particularly close, in fact they barely spoke to each other at all. That was until Alan called and begged her to save him from three months with his family. However, that didn't stop his brothers from disappearing on a rescue two hours before he had to board his flight.

As soon as Alan's flight landed he was greeted by his aunt. She was young, maybe in her early thirties, and had no kids. It always shocked Alan to see how much he resembled her.

"I'm so glad you called!" She smiled hugging him. "Welcome to Galveston, Texas."

"Thanks for taking me in." Alan said realizing that his aunt seemed way more excited than he had anticipated.

The slender blonde headed woman wrapped her arm around her nephew's shoulder. "You look so much like Lucy I can hardly breath." Mary admitted meeting Alan's eyes.

"I'm sorry. Maybe this was a mistake." He heard the same words from his father. Usually before he told Alan how much of a disappointment he is to the Tracy legacy.

"No!" Mary corrected. "I have been waiting for this day for two months. There is no way you're going anywhere."

Alan laughed at his aunts accepting words. Things were different with her. Even on the ride home she was pleasant. She spent the entire ride telling him about the local activities. There was so much to do here. From swimming to partying Alan didn't even know what to do first. At Wharton Alan had never really had complete freedom.

Mary's house was a small condo rested along the coastline. It was a pleasant navy with several tropical flowers littering the yard. There were so many windows Alan almost felt like he was back on the island. Only this house was less neat and more cozy.

"There is only one bathroom and the plumbing is a little tricky, but it has a personality." Mary explained.

"I love it." Alan whispered as he dropped his bags to the floor and stepped onto the patio.

"Beautiful view isn't it?" Mary pondered watching her nephew. "But I bet you have better views than this on that island."

"We do have an amazing shoreline, but nothing as naturally rugged as this." Alan continued to stare out at the choppy waves.

That night Aunt Mary made Alan dinner on the grill before heading to bed. She had to work in the mornings. She was a real estate agent so she worked from home often. Mostly making calls to prospective buyers.

The following morning Alan got up around sunset to walk along the beach. There were a few other people wondering the beach. It was a different texture of sand here than he was used to. After swimming a while he decided to head in and shower. His aunt wasn't wrong when she said the house had personality. As soon as he turned to water on it spewed in all different directions. Three towels and an hour later he finally managed to get the knobs turned to the sweet spot.

The rest of the day was dedicated to complete and utter silence. Something Alan thoroughly enjoyed. He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep on the patio until his aunt came to wake him up.

"I got Friday off. I figured we could devote it to come much needed bonding time." Mary gushed.

Alan couldn't help, but smile at his aunt's innocent nature. She had no worries or expectations from him. "So how's your dad and brothers?" She put on her sunglasses and joined him under the sun.

He shrugged, "Okay I guess."

Mary tipped her sunglasses down meeting his eyes. "I told your dad his crusade was going to end up ripping you kids apart. You're mom wouldn't have wanted all that pressure on you boys."

"All I've ever wanted to do was become a Thunderbird like my brothers. But my dad treats me like I'm some stupid, worthless kid." Alan blurted.

Mary ruffled Alan's hair and pulled his head closer to hers. "You are the furthest thing from a stupid worthless kid." She said kissing his hair. "You figured out my shower. You can't be that stupid."

Alan and Mary both laughed together. It felt so right to be here with her. After dinner Mary and Alan decided to play a few board games. Only they changed to rules to their own benefit. Mary let him win every single time. It was the most fun that Alan could remember having since he accidently blew up the chemistry lab at his old school. He had only been in Texas for a day and he already felt more comfortable than he ever had on the island.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewed, favorited, and alerted me or this story. I have the entire story segment out chapter by chapter. Hopefully, it won't take too long for me to update. Reviews and suggestions through PM inspire me!**

**Chapter 2**

The next few days were just as exciting first. Every morning Alan would get up to go for a run along the beach. It took him a while to get used to the damp humidity of Texas. His aunt was a blast to hang out with when she wasn't working. And despite her urging Alan had still not called his dad back. Running gave him time to think. He was almost ready to go in for a swim when he collided with someone.

"Oh... I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you ok?" Alan asked cautiously helping the stranger to her feet.

The girl was thin with long black hair and big brown eyes. "Wow you really know how to take a girl's breath away." She said batting her eyelashes.

Alan tensed expecting to get yelled at for being so clumsy. After all his brothers always did. "That was a horrible pick up line I'm sorry. My name's Carter. I live a few houses down." She said pointing over his shoulder.

"Alan." He said accepting her hand shake. "I'm staying with my aunt for the summer, Mary Simmons."

"I love Mary. She's so sweet. You two should stop by for dinner later. We usually have big cook offs on the beach around dusk." Carter whipped.

"Thanks I'll ask Mary." Alan acknowledged.

Carter threw her hair over her shoulder. "You have to ask permission to eat?" She criticized.

Alan blinked idiotically. "No. I just wanted to make sure she didn't have plans already." This girl was dripping with sarcasm.

Carter smiled and patted his shoulder. "I like you Alan. You're cute in an awkward way." Then she walked off.

"Wait, was that supposed to be a compliment?" Alan wondered.

Carter laughed, "You have confidence issues, don't you? Don't worry we're very good at fixing people here."

Alan felt like an idiot. Even this random girl could tell that Alan was having problems. Instead of going for a swim he headed for the shower. Thankful his aunt was home for lunch when he got out of the shower.

"I made ham and cheese sandwiches if you want one." Mary offered pointing to the plate on the counter.

"Thanks. How is work?" He asked before taking a bite.

Mary nodded, "Decent. This one family, the McWilliams, are trying to grab a few properties up from the company. Jerks. You'll met their rat of a son soon enough."

"I ran into some girl on the beach today. Carter Murphy. She invited us to dinner tonight." Alan informed.

Mary smiled and started to was the dishes. "You should go. I have plenty to eat here. Besides this is your vacation. Get out of the condo meet people."

"Yeah, but Carter invited us both. She said she knows you." Alan recanted.

"I do know her. He dad does tons of design work for the agency. Sweetheart, Carter invited you. She was probably just being polite by inviting me. Go, be a teenager. Don't do anything I wouldn't do ." Mary said grabbing his plate and rinsing it in the sink.

Despite how much Alan liked his aunt he now understood why she never came to visit the island. She would drive his dad insane. Alan had only asked his father about their falling out once. That was all he needed to know he would never get a straight answer.

After his aunt left for work Alan called his dad back. It rang about five times before Alan hung up without waiting for the message machine. What was he doing calling his dad for girl advice? His brothers would laugh at him and his dad would tell him to focus on school. Even though school was over 2 months away. Alan was just going to wing his first almost date with Carter.

It wasn't hard to find the cook off. There were only a few people. Carter, her father, a young boy around 10 years old, and a couple a little older than Alan.

"I'm so glad you made it. I was just telling my dad about this totally surreal dream I had about being trampled by a blonde, shy, built neighbor." Carter said excitedly.

Alan raised his eyebrows in worry. This girl had already told her dad about him. What was it the Scott used to tell Alan about dating. Oh yeah avoid family events. "You must be Alan. Excuse Carter she's just very elaborate." Mr. Murphy apologized.

"Dad stop embarrassing me. Did I not explain my dream well enough. We were alone." Mr. Murphy smiled at his daughter then went back to cooking.

Carter grabbed his hand and led him over to meet the couple. Alan's aunt was right about the McWilliams kid being a rat. He was completely trashed. The girl, Amanda, was nice. She had short brown hair that hung over her eyes.

"I'm so sorry about him Carter. I couldn't take him home like this. He's already his last strike with his parents." Amanda ranted.

Alan noticed how much Carter cared for her friend. Even though she made it obvious the rat was not welcome. "You shouldn't being taking him home at all. He should stop getting smashed and making you feel sorry for him." Carter argued.

"Baby, why don't you just shut your mouth and stay out of our business." The rat slurred putting an arm around his girlfriend. Amanda looked disgusted, but did not pull away.

Alan hung back, but started to look for Mr. Murphy. He was in the house with Carter's little brother.

"I told you to keep your hands off her when your drunk." Carter barked.

The rat swung his hand back in an instant and raised his hand to punch Carter. Alan sprung into action and stepped in front of her taking the punch. Luckily the guy was too drunk to put much force behind it. "Little rich boy who do you think you are?" The rat laughed.

Mr. Murphy must have realized what was happening and started running down the stairs. "This is Carter's house and I believe she told you to leave." Alan said firmly.

The rat whom Alan now knew is named Kevin turned to leave. "Coming Mandy?" He yelled.

"I'm so sorry you guys. He usually isn't like this. Kevin really is a sweet guy." Amanda mumbled as if she was trying to convince herself.

"Don't bring him anywhere near me again Amanda. You may be my oldest friend, but I can't watch him hurt you anymore. I'm tired of begging you to save yourself." Carter admitted.

Amanda ran to catch up with Kevin after apologizing to Carter's father. "You two alright?" Mr. Murphy inquired.

Carter and Alan both nodded. Alan's face felt a little swollen, but nothing that would show. Mr. Murphy went inside to call the police.

"I can't figure out if your incredibly brave or utterly stupid Alan Tracy." Carter said as she looking out at the waves.

Alan shrugged, "Aren't they the same thing?"

Carter smiled then stood up to brush the sand off her shorts. "What are you doing tomorrow?" She asked.

"Other than my morning run nothing." He piped.

"Then it's settled. We're going to paint." Carter nodded.

Alan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Paint what?"

"Stop asking questions it will ruin the surprise." Carter chuckled helping him up.

Mr. Murphy gave Alan some Tylenol before driving him home. "Thank you for stepping in for my daughter. Carter can get a little aggressive when it comes her friends." He informed.

"I would do it again in a second." Alan confessed making Mr. Murphy smile.

When Alan got home he was thrilled to find his aunt asleep on the couch. He pulled a blanket over her before heading to bed. That night he had a dream about Carter and him running along the beach.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 3**

The following morning Alan skipped his morning run. Which was a smart choice considering he found Carter waiting in the living room.

"Ready to go?" She asked excitedly.

Alan stared down to realize he wasn't wearing a shirt. "How did you get in here?" He wondered.

Carter covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. "Mary let me in before she left for work." She explained.

"Let me just find a shirt and I'll meet you outside." Alan blushed leaving the room.

"There's no rush if you want to hang out here for a while. We're painting a house with my dad so it doesn't matter if we're late." Carter hollered from the living room.

Alan pulled on the first shirt he could find and met Carter in the living room. She was looking at a picture his aunt had of him and his brothers. "That's me and my four older brothers. It was taken two years ago." He whispered trying not to startle her.

"Four? Wow now I get the confidence issues." Carter stated setting the picture down.

Alan was suddenly aware of how close they were to each other. Carter ran her fingers over his bruised cheek. He had honestly forgotten all about last night's incident. "I might just figure you out yet." She pulled her fingers away. "Come on, that house isn't going to paint itself."

They had been painting for five hours when Mr. Murphy let them off the hook. "I think your shirt is permanently baby vomit." Carter laughed tugging on his sleeve.

"Well at least I got paint on the wall. You were so busy flinging paint at me I'm surprised we finished the room." Alan scolded.

"Hey there is no "I" in team Blondie." Carter joked.

Alan and Carter were close again. Alan could feel his heart racing. "Do you want to stay for dinner? I'm sure my aunt wouldn't mind." He offered.

Carter nodded then followed him inside. "There you are. Oh my stars who barfed?" Mary said examining their clothes.

"Oh Alan kissed me and I couldn't keep my food down." Carter lied.

Mary raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "You really know how to bruise a guys ego." Alan shot back.

"Speaking of bruises where'd you get the shiner?" Mary interrogated.

"Two words, Kevin McWilliams." Carter spat.

"Alan I don't want you hanging around the McWilliams kid. The last thing I need is your dad all over me for being a bad influence." Mary gushed.

"It was my fault Mary. Alan was only defending me. Kevin was drunk and I set him off by asking him to leave." Carter defended.

Mary nodded, "You two just need to be careful. That boy has trouble written on his forehead."

After dinner Carter drove herself home. As scared as Alan usually was around people Carter actually made him feel safe. Despite the fact that she was crazy.

"John called while you were out. Said he is coming to the mainland next week and wants to stop by for a few nights." Mary sighed.

Alan took a seat on the floor next to the couch. "Does he have to come?" He blurted running his hands over his face.

"I know you were hoping for a brother free summer, but it's only for a few nights. Plus by then maybe you will have the courage to ask Carter out on a real date." Alan threw the pillow from the couch at her.

Mary laughed throwing the pillow back at his head. "I better go shower." Alan said hugging his aunt.

The next morning Alan called John and confirmed his plans for next week. Then he went for his morning run. He saw Carter waving at him, but was to angry to stop.

Suddenly Alan felt something pull him to a halt. "Hey, what's wrong?" Carter's eyes met his for a brief moment. She was out of breath from running after him.

"My brother is coming to town next week." Alan choked holding back his fury.

Carter placed her hands on his face forcing him to met her eyes. "It's going to be okay Alan." Then she pulled him into a hug. At first Alan was confused, but as he felt her arms around him he relaxed.

When Alan pulled away he felt his fear and anger dissipate. "Do you want to hang out tomorrow night?" Alan asked holding on to his courage.

Carter smiled, "I thought you'd never ask." She kissed his cheek before walking back to her house.

Finally it was Friday. Which meant that his aunt had the day off. "I asked Carter out this morning." Alan said in between bites of cereal.

"And?" Mary fished.

"We have a date tomorrow." Mary gave him a big hug.

"Oh my nephew is shedding his alien skin and becoming a teenager. I think I need to get a picture." She said playfully.

"I'm almost 18. I've been a teenager for a while." Alan informed.

"Yes, but not a dating teenager. Do we need to have a talk?" Mary pondered.

Alan rolled his eyes and left the room. "No I think the health class at Wharton and having four older brothers kind of covered it." He stated trying not to sound annoyed.

Mary followed him onto the patio. "You should talk to one of your brothers. Your dad said you and John were close." He knew she was only trying to help.

"Yeah when I was 14. Since the whole 'you're not mature enough to be a Thunderbird' thing I pretty much avoid all of them." Alan realized. "I don't know. It's like they think I'm a waste of space or something. I thought things would get better when I got older, but I was wrong."

"Alan have you talked to them about this?" Mary asked placing an arm around his shoulders.

Alan shrugged, "If they don't care enough to observe it themselves and treat me better than I want nothing to do with them. They have the problem, not me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**A/N: Thank you once again for all the great reviews! I love you guys! **

**Chapter 4**

The past week had surprisingly flew by. Carter and Alan were officially a couple and spent most of their time together. Today they were helping Mr. Murphy gut a foreclosed house. Unfortunately, that meant when Alan got home from Carter's house John would be there.

"Want me to walk you home?" Carter joked pulling him closer to her.

"I thought that was my line?" Alan smiled before kissing her.

Carter ruffled Alan's hair playfully. "You should get going. I don't want your brother to think I'm needy or something." She laughed.

"I doubt John will even care I have a girlfriend." Alan confessed.

Alan leaned in to kiss her again, but she pulled away. "Home now! We can make out later." Carter said pushing him out the door and waving goodbye.

As soon as Alan walked through the door his brother was on him. "Hey sprout? Where have you been all day?" John asked hugging him.

Alan suddenly felt like a deer caught in the headlights. "Carter and I were gutting a house." He breezed. "I better go shower before dinner."

"Did I say something wrong?" John whispered to his aunt.

Mary shrugged, "I think Alan is still worked up about the rejection thing."

"Rejection thing?" John inquired. "That was months ago during spring break. Plus that was my dad's decision. For what it's worth I was on the kid's side."

"John, I don't know what's going on between your dad and Alan, but someone needs to talk to him." Mary encouraged.

John nodded, "So who's Carter?"

Mary shook her head. "No freebees talk to him John. Preferably before I call your dad and say something I'll regret."

John let a long sigh before going to find Alan. He found him sitting on the patio looking out at the waves. "I still can't believe how much you've grown up." John stated taking a seat next to his brother on the steps.

"I know. You all make that pretty damn obvious." Alan hissed feeling his anger rise.

"Alan, I'm sorry Dad went back on his word and crushed your dreams. If I could shake some sense into Dad I would." John reasoned. "That man is as flexible as a brick wall."

John could tell Alan was shutting him out. "You got that right." Alan agreed. "Sorry avoided you earlier. It's just hard being around the one thing I'm forbidden to do."

John took a deep breath before speaking. "I don't blame you for being pissed. Virgil and I were so mad when Dad changed his mind. Gordon and Scott on the other hand said it was only to keep you safe." John explained.

"Well you can tell them I don't feel very safe." Alan rebutted.

John put his arm around his brother to comfort him. "You look and act so much like Mom."

"Yeah, story of my life! I can't do anything I want, because I look like Mom!" Alan hollered.

John stood up to face his brother. "It was just a comment Alan. I didn't mean anything by it." He apologized.

"I don't need your damn approval! I have finally find a place I belong, with people who

actually like me enough to get to know me! Then, you come along and think that we must be cool, because we're Jeff Tracy's sons. Well news flash John, I don't want to be a Tracy anymore! So just leave me the hell alone and go tell Dad to stop ruining my life." Alan yelled before taking off towards Carter's house.

"That went well." John said slamming the door. "I've only got one night to fix this and he ran away."

"He'll be back. He probably just went to Carter's house to cool down." Mary helped.

"Okay, and whose this Carter person he's so close to?" John wondered.

"Carter is Alan's girlfriend." Mary informed taking a long drink of wine.

John stopped pacing and glared at his aunt. "Girlfriend? Alan is too young to have a girlfriend." John criticized.

Mary slammed her glass down almost knocking it over. "And now I see why Alan is filled angst every time I mention you guys. Alan is 17, not 14. He is almost an adult and if y'all don't get your heads out of the sand real soon he is going to shut y'all out." She warned.

"Is it alright if I stay here on my way back from the conference? I'll be able to stay longer and won't have a firm schedule." John begged.

Mary nodded, "Just make sure he knows how much you care, John."

Alan ran as fast as he could to Carter's house. Luckily, she was still up with her dad. "Alan, what are you doing here? It's really late." Carter asked joining him on the beach.

"Is your dad okay? I saw the pills." Alan babbled.

"He had some heart trouble last year. Sometimes he still needs help. Especially, after a long work day." Carter explained. "You okay?"

Alan shook his head and Carter hugged him. "Come inside. You'll get sick if you stay out here at night." She insisted.

Alan was surprised that Mr. Murphy was okay with him staying on the couch for the night. When he got home John had already left for the airport. Even though Alan felt guilty about snapping at his brother he knew he couldn't keep playing dumb. Eventually, he was going to have to face them. They had hurt and betrayed him.

The first thing Alan noticed when he picked up his phone was that he had missed several calls from not only John, but his aunt. Alan clicked the call back button and waited for his brother to answer. Thankfully, it went to voicemail. Which most likely meant John was on the plane.

"Hey John. It's Alan. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for blowing up like that. It's Dad I'm mad at, not you. Let me know when you get there safe okay. I think we need to talk." Alan finished and hung up the phone.

"That was really brave Alan." Carter acknowledged.

"Kind of like you covering up for your Dad so he can continue to kill himself?" Alan blurted.

"My dad works, because it makes him happy. Who am I to keep him from doing what he loves?" Carter argued. "Your family refuses to let you do what you love and look what it's doing to you."

Alan sighed in defeat. "Why can't I ever get mad at you? With my brother it was so easy. Like flipping a switch."

Carter smirked, "Because we talk Alan. We tell each other things and listen to each other. From what you've told me about your family their not exactly the 'let's talk about it' bunch. You were raised in a penguin raised among parrots. So own it."

"I'm not sure that analogy works here." Alan disagreed.

"Of course it does. You're dad and brothers are rich, successful, and have no trouble flaunting it or their resources. You on the other hand try to hide your last name and haven't even applied to college. parrots flaunt their colors and migrate. Male penguins stay home and are smart, caring, and strategic." Carter said kissing him. "I for one prefer penguins."

"How do you know so much about birds? I don't know whether to be offended or fascinated." Alan laughed.

"My dad designed an aviary for the local zoo. I basically spent my whole summer trying to relocate the birds so they didn't die from paint fumes." Carter hummed. "It was my summers mission to find out if a penguin is a fish or a bird."

"Despite that amazing reference I'm starving." Alan leaned down and kissed Carter. This time she didn't pull away. That was until Alan's phone went off.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 5**

The next few weeks were surprisingly calm. John had called back and promised they would talk more when he came back through. Which made Alan feel good considering their last incident. Maybe there was hope for their relationship after all.

The only down side to the previous week was Carter. Alan was finding it harder to spend time with her. After Alan found out about Mr. Murphy's illness it seemed to consume their time together. Carter and Alan would still go to help out at on the sites, but Mr. Murphy, who insisted on being called Dave, was rarely present. The strain and pressure was just too overwhelming for him. Which in return made Carter freak out. Alan could see how much pain Dave was in, and how it was affecting Carter. She put on a strong front, but Alan could tell she was worried.

"Are you okay?" Alan asked looking down at the crumbled pieces of paper littering the floor.

Carter's eyes were rimmed with red from crying. "I just need to finish this job. Maybe if I help him plan it he will get better." She rationalized.

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Carter I don't think worrying yourself to death is going to help him." Alan tried to reason.

"Alan, could I have a word?" Dave inquired nodding for him to come onto the patio.

Alan followed reluctantly. He was anxious about leaving Carter so upset. "Yes, sir?"

"Do you love my daughter?" Dave interrogated.

Alan hesitated before responding. There was only two ways this discussion could go. "We've only been going out for two months." He responded.

"And yet you come over every day to not only help me, but to comfort my daughter. Most teenage boys would have head for the hills by now." Dave explained. "Now correct me if I'm wrong, but that seems awful serious for a two month relationship."

"I agree, sir." Alan acknowledged still unsure of what Mr. Murphy was looking for.

The man smiled and put a strong hand on Alan's shoulder. "Promise me you'll take care of her no matter what." It was more of a request than a demand.

Alan nodded involuntarily realizing that Mr. Murphy had been keeping something life threatening from his daughter about his condition. "Sir, is everything alright? I mean are you feeling okay?" Alan fetched.

Mr. Murphy smiled again before going back inside leaving Alan alone on the patio. Had he just committed to marry Carter? His dad was going to kill him. Why would Dave want Alan to marry Carter? Maybe he just wanted to know she wouldn't be alone. Did Dave honestly think Alan and Carter were ready to get married? Alan's thoughts were spinning around in his head like a cyclone. He needed to go for a run.

"Hey honey how's Carter?" Mary asked offering him some dinner. She must have gotten off work early.

Alan took a seat in the lawn chair next to his aunt on the patio. "She's a mess. It's getting harder and harder for me to go over there. I never know what to say." He confessed exhaustedly.

Mary sighed, "Alan you don't have to say anything. I'm sure Carter would understand if you needed some space. It's a difficult situation."

"I don't want space. I want her dad to get better. I want Carter to smile again. I want bad things to stop happening to nice, loving, honest people." Alan ranted.

"You really mean that?" A voice whispered behind Alan.

Alan turned around to see Carter standing behind him. "I didn't see you standing there." He said filled with guilt.

"Can we go for a walk?" Carter urged.

Alan nodded, "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" Carter interrupted.

"I'm worried that you have your head so far in the sand that you can't see that your dad is ready." Alan calmly informed.

"What do you know about it?" Carter snapped.

"I know that your dad is worried about you. Carter, he asked me to take care of you." Alan reasoned.

Carter took a deep breath. "He shouldn't have put that on you." She struggled.

Alan shrugged, "I promised him I would. That is, if you stop pushing me away."

Alan pulled Carter towards him and kissed her. "I love you too." Carter whispered.

After Alan walked Carter home he spent some time on the beach. At night it was windy and cold. Carter had said she loved him. Alan couldn't stop smiling. The only thing that could possibly damper his spirits was his brother. John was coming back through tomorrow. This time he was staying for a week.

The next morning Alan drove to the airport to pick up his brother. "Hey sprout!" John greeted hugging him. "You okay? You look kind of warn out."

"Sorry, long night." Alan admitted.

John nodded and loaded his bags into the truck. "Do I need to give you the talk again?" He blurted.

Alan laughed, "No! Carter and I had a small disagreement last night."

"You two have only been going out for a few weeks and you're already fighting?" John wondered.

"Her dad is sick and it's getting really stressful. Plus it's been two months." Alan corrected.

"Don't you think two months is a little short for you two to be so serious?" John stated suspiciously.

"I'm not going to dump her because her father is dying." Alan argued.

John cleared his throat. "Alan, I get that you have feelings for her, but there will be other girls. Carter is not the only fish in the sea. Ask Gordon." He joked.

"She may not be the only fish in the sea, but she is the only one I want." Alan stated firmly.

John must have gotten the hint, because he dropped the conversation.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 6**

After John got settled Alan went to Carter's house. John decided to stay home and get more situated. Plus he wanted to talk to his aunt about Alan's relationship.

"Well considering my house is still standing I'm guessing Alan isn't here. Did he head over to Carter's already?" Aunt Mary joked.

John nodded, "He left after dropping me off."

"Alan doesn't like to leave Carter alone for too long. She has so much to deal with on her own." Mary added.

"Doesn't the amount of pressure Alan is under worry you?" John inquired.

Mary sighed, "It's Alan's choice. He wants to be there for her."

"Alan is a kid! You're the adult. He's a 17 year old who's confused!" John argued.

"Do you know the same Alan I know? Alan loves Carter. Carter makes him happy. This is his decision. Not yours, not mine, and certainly not your father's. This is the end of this discussion." Mary finished leaving the room.

When Alan got home he was shocked to find John waiting up for him. "I thought you'd be asleep by now." Alan said exhaustedly.

"Can we talk?" John asked hesitantly.

"Okay..." Alan lingered.

"I want you to come home with me." John stated sternly.

Alan expected that John would bring this up sooner or later. It was getting near the end of summer. Sooner or later one of his brothers would call or be sent to drag him home. That was just the Tracy family way. Alan knew that his brother's thought they were looking out for him. But it was so degrading and smothering. That's why Alan loved being with Carter. He could be himself without the fear of rejection.

"John, I already told you I'm staying here with Carter. If I was going to leave her I would have done it already." Alan insisted.

"I get that this summer fling is important to you. But you need to stop messing around and applying to colleges before deadlines close. I understand that you wanted a break, but it's time to grow up. How am I ever going to convince Dad that you're mature enough to join International Rescue if you won't come home?" John snapped.

"Carter and I are not just a summer fling John. I love her. Just because I have moved on from being a Thunderbird does not mean I'm less mature." Alan rebutted. "Who are to comment on us when you've never even met Carter?"

John huffed, "Ever since you've met that girl you're priorities have been all out of whack. I'm trying to help you here, Alan. I want my brother back."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Hey can you watch Winston for a few days? Dad got worse and I had to call an ambulance." Carter informed.

"Yeah, I'll go pick him up before he trashes the place. My aunt won't mind. Want me to give you a lift the hospital?" Alan offered.

Carter shook her head fighting back tears. "You've gotten less sleep than me. I'll call you as soon as I know something okay." She said kissing him.

Alan watched as the car drove off down the street.

"Who's Winston?" John wondered.

Alan laughed, "Her dad's retriever. He 's old, grumpy, and loves to destroy the furniture."

Thankfully, Winston settled down when Alan went to sleep. The last thing he needed was the dog to go psycho on the house. The next morning Carter called Alan and told him her dad was doing better. He offered to come stay with her, but she wanted time alone. He couldn't blame her. Carter and her dad were insanely close. Sometimes Alan would set up at night deciding whether to call his dad.

"Sleep okay?" Alan asked, joining John at the table.

"Yeah, you?" John shot back.

Alan sighed, "Yeah, once I got to sleep."

"How's Carter's dad?" John searched.

"He had a stroke. They won't know the full extent of the damage until he wakes up and they can run more tests." Alan reasoned.

"Victims of strokes have a long recovery periods sometimes. It's a lot of work and stress." John analyzed.

"I'm not leaving Carter. If you want me to come home you're going to have to play another card." Alan hissed before leaving the room.

That afternoon John, Alan, and Mary spent some time on the beach. Carter was even able to join them for a while. Even with the tension between John and Carter it was fun. Carter was able to blow off some steam.

"So Carter, what are your plans for college next year?" John questioned bluntly. Alan shot him a dirty look.

"Didn't Alan tell you? We both got in to A&M Galveston." Carter answered hesitantly looking at Alan.

"A&M Galveston? You told me you weren't going to college. Why did you lie to me?" John accused.

"I wanted to make my own decision." Alan explained.

"I can't believe you lied! Are you that desperate for attention?" John spat.

"He wouldn't have to lie if you all would stop trying to control every moment of his life!" Carter argued.

"We are just trying to protect him." John reasoned.

"No, you're trying to control him. There's a difference." Carter barked before marching off.

Alan followed her into the house. "I just yelled at your brother." She mumbled. "He probably thinks I'm a bitch."

"Well you kind of are." Alan teased.

Carter grabbed his arm and pulled him on to the couch beside her. "Promise me that whatever happens you won't let them change you. You're a penguin remember." Carter reminded kissing him.

"How could I forget?" Alan smirked leaning in to kiss Carter.

**A/N: Horrible story- I almost gave myself a panic attack tonight. I had chapters 6 and 7 written, but accidently saved my chapter 7 over chapter 6. I lost everything and had to completely re-write from memory! Luckily my chapters aren't very long. If you find any inconsistencies please let me know! Thanks! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 7**

"Can we talk?" Alan asked entering John's room.

John nodded and motioned to the chair next to the bed. "I'm sorry I lied about college. I just didn't want you guys to influence my decision." Alan explained.

"I doubt anyone could do that. You have a spitfire of a girlfriend." John laughed.

Alan chuckled, "The first night I met her she got me punched in the face."

"I'm proud of you Alan. Just make sure that you're making the right choices for you and not Carter." John lectured.

"Carter will always be the right choice." Alan responded.

"I think you're whipped." John teased.

Alan had to agree. "Do you want to go out on a double date tonight? Carter and her friend Amanda are going to the house opening. I thought we could join them." Alan offered.

"You're brother and Amanda? What other special powers are you hiding other than matchmaking?" Carter joked.

"What? Amanda is trying to get over Kevin and my brother is leaving in a week. It's the perfect rebound. Plus my brother is way too straight laced to try anything." Alan argued.

Carter shrugged, "Yeah, it's perfect. If Kevin doesn't show up."

"Relax, breath." Alan laughed.

After the house party John took it upon himself to drive Amanda home. They surprisingly hit it off. Alan dropped Carter off at the hospital on his way home.

Once Alan got home things were eerily quit. Even Winston the annoying dog was sleeping. Alan pull out his phone and flipped through his contacts. He needed to talk to someone.

"Hey sprout, long time no talk." Virgil answered.

"Yeah, sorry I've been busy." Alan covered.

"Are you okay? You sound weird." Virgil worried. Darn older brothers and they're hyper observant skills.

"My girlfriend's dad is dying. I want to be strong for her, but I'm scared. I've never seen anyone die before." Alan broke down.

"Allie calm down okay. Since when do you have a girlfriend?" Virgil interrogated.

"Her name is Carter and we've been together two months." Alan informed.

Virgil sighed, "Okay so you two kids are serious then. I mean serious enough for you to be considering going through something this hard. So what's wrong with her dad?"

"Hey has a heart condition. It was getting better, but then he had a stroke. Virgil, he asked me to take care of her." Alan ranted.

"Alan, I can tell how much you care about this girl. But if it is stressing you out this much maybe it's better to cut ties now. It sounds like he is only going to get worse." Virgil reasoned.

"I love her, Virgil. Please, just tell me what to do." Alan demanded desperately.

Virgil hesitated, "I think you already know what to do, sprout. I don't mean to be overly cheesy, but if love was easy we'd all be married by now."

"Thanks, Virgil." Alan said trying to calm down.

"Wait sprout, before you hand up!" Virgil rushed. "If this Carter girl really is the _one_ don't give her up for anything."

"You do realize John and you have complete conflicting opinions, right?" Alan pointed out.

Virgil laughed, "Yeah, well no offense to John, but I don't think he's ever been in love."

"He said it's a summer fling and that I'm ruining my life. Well, that was until he found out I was going to A&M Galveston." Alan explained.

"It sounds like you've already figured out your next move without me. What did you need a confidence boost?" Virgil joked.

Alan smiled, "Something like that."

"Glad to be of assistance. Call me later okay. I need to hear more about this Carter girl. I'd prefer hear it from you than John. Sounds like Dad and Scott have taken over his body." Virgil assessed.

Alan instantly felt better when he got off the phone. Finally, someone agreed with him other than his aunt.

"Hey honey where's John?" Mary questioned.

"He gave Mandy a lift home from the party. He should be back soon." Alan realized.

"How did Carter's dad seem at the opening?" Mary wondered.

Alan smirked, "Happy. Like he was perfectly content and absolutely nothing was wrong."

When John got home they hung out for a while. After all it seemed like ages since they actually had a civilized conversation.

"Have you called Dad lately?" John prodded.

"Not since I left the island why?" Alan asked.

"I think you two have a lot to talk about. If you are really serious about going to A&M and staying with Carter it's better to talk to him now than later." John reasoned.

"What would talking change? Dad has already made up his mind." Alan shrugged.

"He's still you're Dad Alan. He still loves you. Even if he has a bad way of showing it." John explained.

"Don't you think if Dad cared he would have called by now? It's been months John." Alan argued.

John sighed, "Dad cares more than you know. He didn't refuse to let you join IR, because you were immature."

"Yeah, he refused to let me join to protect me. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not helpless." Alan remarked.

"You're still safer here than with us." John admitted. "Even if I disagree with Dad."

"I've dialed his number so many times I've lost count." Alan confessed. "A first it was easy to be mad. But now that I see Carter and her dad every day. It's harder."

"What's stopping you?" John asked.

Alan shrugged, "I'm scared he's going to be disappointed in me. I try to tell myself what he thinks doesn't matter, but it does."

"Alan, Dad would never be disappointed in you. You should really call him and tell him what's going on." John urged.

That night before going to sleep Alan scrolled through his contacts. When he reached his Dad's he stopped and paused. Maybe it would better to wait until morning. That way he would have a clear mind. It had been a long day. If he waited till morning he could go for a run before calling. Which in logic made no sense. The time difference meant that his Dad would be in the middle of lunch right now. Alan took a deep breath and hit the call button.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 8**

Jeff was having lunch in his off when his phone vibrated. "Jeff Tracy." He answered.

"Dad." Alan responded hesitantly.

"Alan? Are you alright? Isn't it two in the morning there?" Jeff worried.

"Yeah, but I'm always up this late. I figured this time would be better for you." Alan reasoned.

Jeff sighed, "It is. I guess I'm just a little shocked. We haven't talked in four months."

"John told me I should call you." Alan admitted.

"I'm glad he did. I was getting worried." Jeff confessed.

Alan could never tell if his dad was being genuine. "You do know phones work both ways?" Alan spat sarcastically.

"I wanted to give you some space." Jeff justified.

"I didn't call you to argue. Can we for just once have a talk that doesn't end with us yelling?" Alan begged.

"How are you? Virgil told me you found a college you liked. You know I'm here to help anyway I can." Jeff asked.

"That's not why I called." Alan interrupted.

"Alan, you know you can tell me anything. Virgil also told me you were having a hard time." Jeff offered.

"Dad, have you ever been around someone who was dying. Not like dying from an accident, but by an illness?" Alan wondered.

"You're grandfather, my dad died of gastric cancer. I wasn't there as much as I should have been, I'll admit, but I was there for the end." Jeff informed. "Why do you ask?"

"My girlfriends dad has a heart condition. The doctors thought they had it under control until a few days ago. He had a stroke." Alan explained.

"I'm not going to lie Alan. It's easier to walk away. Especially, if you know the person is going to get worse. No person really wants to be remembered that way." Jeff advised.

Alan cleared his throat to try to keep himself restrained. "Part of me wants to walk away. But I could never do that to Carter." Alan mumbled. "Carter doesn't have the choice to leave. Her dad's a single parent."

"Would it help if one of your brothers came down and stayed with you. I know they wouldn't be much help, but at least you'd have someone. John is scheduled to go back on 5 next month. But Gordon or Scott could come for a while." Jeff offered.

Alan hated to take one of his brothers away from IR. Even for a few weeks. "I don't want to take them away from IR. Other people need them more than me. I'll be fine." Alan promised.

"Alan, what do you want? Thunderbirds aside." Jeff demanded.

"Dad, I told you I'll be fine. I've got to go. It's getting late and I need to be at the hospital early." Alan rushed.

"I'll talk to your brothers okay." Jeff said apparently hearing his distress.

The next few days were better. Only Mr. Murphy wasn't doing better. He was at home, but needed help often. Alan was over at Carter's house helping her with her father. Alan had been so busy he had almost forgotten that John was going home soon.

Luckily, John understood the situation. In all truth John was thankful to be coming home. It upset him to see his brother so warn down. Alan was so busy helping Carter's dad he was forgetting to take care of himself.

"Miss me?" John joked hugging his brothers.

"How was the conference?" Virgil inquired.

"Boring, but informative. Like every other NASA conference." John reasoned.

Scott nodded, "How's the sprout?"

"He was great until last week. Carter's dad came home from the hospital. He needs a lot of help." John said thoughtfully.

"Why can't the hospital assist him?" Gordon wondered. "I'm sure they have homebound nurses."

"They do, but Carter's dad has pretty much given up. Alan told me he is refusing outside help." John breezed.

"Is Alan okay with helping out that much? That puts a lot of pressure on him." Jeff asked.

John shrugged, "I don't think Alan has a choice anymore. He is determined to be with Carter."

"Where is Aunt Mary? Doesn't this affect her." Jeff pondered.

"Aunt Mary is in the middle of closing a deal on a house. She's barely home." John informed. "

"When I talked to him last week I asked him if he wanted one of you boys to come stay with him. He said no, but what do you think? Do you think Alan needs one of us there?" Jeff said worriedly.

"Defiantly. The kid gets up at the crack of dawn, goes straight to Carter's, and comes home at two or three in the morning. Oh and that's if he comes home. Sometimes he crashes on Carter's couch." John elaborated. "He needs someone to ground him. Preferable someone who isn't afraid of his temper."

"Well that settles it. I'm the one going." Scott smiled.

"I stand up to Alan just as much as you. Plus I can train on the beach." Gordon argued. "I'm closer to his age."

"Exactly, Alan doesn't need another kid." Scott snapped. "You need to focus on your training. Right now I'm a sitting duck other than missions."

"Scott has a point Gordon. I don't want this to interfere with your plans. Depending on how long this drags out you can replace Scott." Jeff compromised.

Jeff called Alan, but got no answer. He left a message telling Alan that Scott would be coming tomorrow. Jeff told Scott he could wait a few days, but Scott wanted to get out of the house.

Scott had honestly missed Alan. He knew Alan and him hadn't left things on the nest note. Scott had sided with their Dad. Scott worried about Alan more than any of his brothers. Alan was the youngest by a large gap. Scott was twelve years older. They had little in common.

When Scott landed in Houston his aunt was there to pick him up. "Where's the sprout?" He asked on instinct.

"Carter's dad went into cardiac arrest a few hours ago. He couldn't leave the hospital." Mary explained.

"Could you drop me off at the hospital before heading back to work?" Scott implied.

Mary nodded, but didn't say anything else. It wasn't hard for Scott to find the waiting room. He was all too familiar with them. Alan and a dark haired girl were asleep. The girl, whom Scott assumed was Carter was resting against Alan.

Scott reached out and gently shook Alan's leg. "Scott? I thought you were coming next week." Alan asked tiredly.

"Don't you check you're messages? I decided to come early." Scott whispered trying not to wake up Carter. "Any news?"

Alan shook his head. "No, but no news is good news right?" Alan tried.

Alan looked run down. "Hey I'm going to go ask the nurse if they've heard anything?" Carter said getting up.

"How's she doing?" Scott inquired.

"I think she's just ready for it to be over. He doesn't even look like himself anymore." Alan said rubbing his hands over his face.

"Anything?" Alan asked Carter.

She shook her head. "They said the doctor would come find us as soon as he's done." Carter kissed him. "You should go home. Get some sleep. You've been up longer than me and your brother's here."

"I want to stay here with you." Alan insisted.

Carter kissed him again. "Go home. I already called my grandmother. She's on her way. Say you love me and leave." She ordered.

"You're so bossy, but I love you." Alan stated kissing her.

"Give me your keys." Scott demanded.

Alan looked confused. "I'm fine to drive Scottie. Plus you don't know where we're going." Alan criticized.

"Yeah, cause it's so hard to get lost on a freaking island when you live on the shoreline. Hand them over sprout." Scott ordered opening his hand.

Alan gave up and handed him the keys. He was too tired to argue. Despite the fact that Alan and his oldest brother rarely got along he was glad Scott was there. John had been annoying, but near the end it was nice having him to talk to. Scott seemed generally neutral about the situation. Scott was never neutral when it came to family. He either agreed with you or he was determined stop you.

"Thanks for coming. How was your flight?" Alan mumbled.

"Long and slow. I guess I'm just used to Thunderbird 1 now." Scott mentioned.

"Sorry I didn't check my messages." Alan apologized.

Scott nodded, "Don't worry about it. You've got a lot going on. You should call Gordon though. I think he feels rejected."

"Why would he feel rejected?" Alan wondered.

"You called Virgil and Dad. Then, John and I got to come visit. So far he's the only one left out." Scott summarized.

"Now I feel dumb." Alan admitted.

Scott smiled, but said nothing. Once they got home Alan went to sleep and Scott made dinner.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 9**

It was around midnight when Alan woke up to his phone going off. Carter had texted him that her dad was in recovery. She was going home with her grandmother for the day.

"Hey sprout, sit down I made dinner." Scott offered.

Alan sat down next to his brother. "Carter's dad is in recovery. We should know more when the tests are finished." Alan finished.

"Alan." Scott tensed. "Stop talking and stuff your face already."

Alan shut up and ate his dinner.

"Are you going to see Carter after dinner?" Scott inquired.

Alan shook his head. "I think she needs some space. She's at her grandmother's house." Alan reasoned.

"Are you okay? I swear you used to talk more." Scott commented.

Alan shrugged, "You told me to shut up."

"Since when do you listen to me?" Scott criticized.

"Would me yelling at you make you happy?" Alan sighed. "Because you're really starting to piss me off."

"Can't I be worried about you without you picking a fight?" Scott argued.

"You haven't spoken to me in three months. How worried could you be?" Alan stressed.

Scott shot his brother a hurt glance. "I didn't think you wanted to talk to me. After your fight with Dad I thought you'd come to me when you were ready." Scott explained. "You made it pretty clear that you wanted to be left alone this summer."

"At first I did. I didn't even plan on coming home at the end of the summer." Alan confessed.

"What were you planning on doing?" Scott frowned.

"It's a nice night. Tomorrow we should go to the beach. Carter will probably be at the hospital all day." Alan said ignoring his brothers question.

"Answer my question Alan." Scott commanded. "What were you going to do at the end of the summer?"

"Does it matter? Forget I said anything." Alan breezed.

"Alan you weren't going to commit suicide were you?" Scott's concern grew.

Alan said nothing and continued to move food around on his plate. "No! Can you drop it?" Alan barked.

"You never said anything. You were just going to cut us all off and never come home." Alan could see Scott's frustration.

"What do you want me to say Scott? I'm sorry I didn't tell you I would rather runaway than come home." Alan muttered sarcastically.

"You should have talked to someone Alan. We could have helped you." Scott offered.

Alan rolled his eyes. "I did talk to someone. I talk to Carter. I don't know what I'd do without her." Alan admitted.

"You're one complicated cookie." Scott joked.

"Virgil told me love is always complicated." Alan laughed.

"I wasn't talking about your relationship. Despite all the drama you both have going on Carter and you seem very uncomplicated. Even though John thinks you're going to end up getting your heart broken." Scott added.

"John is just mad , because Carter told him off." Alan informed.

"But you're okay, right? We don't need to have a family intervention?" Scott interrogated.

Alan shook his head. "I think Carter has you covered."

Alan and Scott bother went back to sleep after dinner. It was eight in the morning when Scott woke Alan. Carter was waiting for him in the living room.

"Hey is there what's wrong?" Alan asked.

Carter pulled him into a tight embrace. "I just want it to be over." She cried.

Alan held her closer and let her tears soak his shirt. "Did the doctors say anything?" Alan whispered.

"They said it will probably be soon. They aren't releasing him . He's decided to go into hospice care." Carter explained.

"We knew this was coming." Alan comforted. "At least he won't be in pain much longer."

"I know. It's hard seeing him like this. He doesn't even look like himself." Carter struggled. "He's been asking for you. I thought he was losing it at first, but he is insisting on seeing you."

"I'll go see him okay." Alan agreed. "You should stay and get some sleep."

Alan went to the hospital with Scott. Alan preferred going alone, but Scott insisted.

"Want me to come in with you?" Scott offered.

Alan shook his head. "He doesn't know you. I should go alone."

"Alan?" Mr. Murphy coughed sitting up.

"It's me, Mr. Murphy, I'm here." Alan comforted grabbing his hand.

Alan noticed how much pain he was in. "I need you to do something for me." Carter's dad mumbled.

"I'll take care of Carter." Alan promised.

"I left you something in my desk drawer at home. You'll know it when you see it." Mr. Murphy announced. "Use it when you see fit."

"I will." Alan finished noticing that Dave was already asleep.

Alan stayed with him until Carter got to the hospital. "He's been sleeping most of the time." He told her.

She kissed him before he left to find his brother.

"Are you okay?" Scott wondered looking at his brother's tense shoulders.

"Yeah, I need make a stop by Carter's on the way home." Alan ordered.

Once they got to Carter's house Alan rushed to the desk. "Alan, what's going on?" Scott demanded following his brother through the house.

Alan didn't responded, but continued to sort through the drawers. Finally, he came across an envelope with his name on it. Inside was a piece of stationary with two short sentence.

_This was my mother's. Use it well._

That's when it hit him. Alan held the small engagement ring in his palm.

"Is that what I think it is?" Scott said interrupting his thoughts.

Alan handed his brother the note. "So what this guy expects you to marry his daughter. You've only been dating for a few months." Scott hollered.

"That's why he told me to use it when I'm ready." Alan explained.

"Alan, I really hate to rain on your parade..." Scott started.

Alan cut him off. "Then don't! Scott just because I have an engagement ring and I love Carter doesn't mean I'm going do it today! Why can't you all trust me?"

Scott sighed, "I'm scared for you Alan."

"What? Why?" Alan muttered.

"You're my little brother. It's my job to protect you. But I can't save you from life. No matter how hard I try." Scott apologized. "I want you to be happy."

"That's what you don't get." Alan laughed. "Carter makes me happy."

"You're my kid brother Alan. How am I supposed to accept that you're going to get married before me?" Scott teased.

Alan shrugged, "I guess you'll have to work fast then."

"How was Carter's dad?" Scott asked when they got home.

"He's in a lot of pain." Alan admitted.

"You should call Dad. He called while you were in with Carter's dad. I think he's worried." Scott advised.

Alan laid down on his bed and dialed his dad's number.

"Dad? Can you come down here. I need you" Alan blurted before his dad could say hello.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 10**

Jeff was shocked that Alan wanted him to come. Alan had always wanted his independence. After talking with Scott, Jeff made arrangements for International Rescue to be on half operation. John came down from five to go on missions in Jeff's place.

"Is the squirt okay?" Gordon asked his father at dinner.

"Scott said he is better than he expected." Jeff insisted.

"Then why does he need you there?" Gordon wondered.

"Does it matter? He asked Dad to come." Virgil interrupted.

The next day Jeff was getting ready to head out when he got a call from Scott. Carter's father had passed away this morning. Scott was on his way to the hospital to meet with Carter and Alan.

"What did Scott have to say?" Virgil inquired.

"Carter's dad passed away this morning. Alan and Carter were at the hospital when it happened and Scott's rushing there now." Jeff informed.

"We should all go then. Lady P can call us if IR is needed." John insisted.

"John's right. Alan's going to need us there." Virgil agreed.

It wasn't difficult to find Alan when Scott arrived at the hospital. Alan seemed fine, but Carter was a mess. "Can we get out of here?" Carter begged.

Aunt Mary took the day off from work to pick Jeff and the boys up. Scott decided to tag along and give Carter and Alan some space.

"Hey, how's the sprout?" Virgil interrogated.

"He's at home with Carter. She's having a really hard time. I think Alan accepted it awhile ago." Scott explained.

It didn't take long for Alan to calm Carter down. They had both been expecting it. "We should go by my Gram's house later. I don't want her to think we abandoned Winston." Carter said trying to change the subject.

"Let's go get him. My aunt won't care and I know you need him right now." Alan suggested.

"I'm so tired. I'd probably crash." Carter admitted.

"I'll go get him. Why don't you call Amanda and have her come over?" Alan offered.

Aunt Mary and the Tracy family got home not long after Alan left. "Hey Mandy!" Aunt Mary greeted giving her a hug. "This is Alan's family."

"It's nice to meet everyone." Mandy waved. "Carter's sleeping and Alan left to get Winston twenty minutes ago."

"I thought Carter's grandmother lived an hour away. That's a long drive on no sleep." Mary commented.

"He seemed fine to me." Mandy shrugged.

"Hey, I didn't think y'all were getting in till tonight." Carter said joining them in the living room.

"We were able to catch an earlier flight out." Jeff said introducing himself.

"Well, Alan called and is on his way home." Carter stated.

"Dude he must be speeding." Mary laughed.

"Probably." Carter added.

About an hour later Alan showed up with Winston. "It's good I went to get him today. Part of Highway 59 is closed tomorrow for construction." Alan said kissing her.

"Yeah, that would make things difficult." She kissed him back. "You're family got here early."

Alan greeted his family and went to sleep. The idea of staying up was hopeless. The biggest fear Alan had was what his family would tell Carter while he was incapacitated. Not the she didn't know all his secrets anyway.

It was later that night that Alan woke up to find Carter curled up next to him. The house was so quiet that Alan felt like he was in a horror movie. He found his Dad sitting out on the patio looking out at the ocean. Winston was lying next to his chair sleeping.

"Sorry I crashed on you guys." Alan apologized.

Jeff got up and gave Alan a hug. "Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

Alan nodded, "I think that was the best I've slept in months."

His dad smirked, "From what Scott tells me I believe you."

"How's Carter?" Jeff asked.

Alan didn't know how to answer his Dad's question. He wanted to say she was fine, but it would be a lie. Would Alan be okay if his dad died? Probably not.

"I think she's hibernating." Alan concluded.

"Scott told me about the engagement." Jeff mentioned.

This was always where Alan and his dad fought. When he made pointless statements that proved that Alan didn't tell him anything. Therefore, Alan was immature.

"Nothings final, Dad. Just because I have a ring doesn't mean I'm going to use it. Her father passed away yesterday." Alan explained. "So you can forget the lecture you prepared."

"What I was going to say, before you snapped, was that I think Carter is good for you. I mean you both are very young for such a big step. But I can see how much she cares about you." Jeff approved.

"Thanks, but if Carter finds out you approve she will never say yes. This discussion never happened." Alan joked.

"Where is everyone? It's so quiet." Alan wondered.

"I convinced Scott and your brothers to get hotel rooms. Your aunt is asleep." He informed. "Want to go to the hotel? I'm sure they wouldn't mind being woken up."

Alan shook his head. "No I shouldn't leave Carter here alone."

After Alan finished talking with his Dad he went back to bed. Even though he slept well he still felt tired. It was probably all the stress. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of him. He didn't have to wake Carter up to know she felt the same.

**Please Review! **

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I was on vacation!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 11**

It was around noon when Carter shook Alan awake. She was bored and wasn't ready to face his family.

"Hey, you sleep okay?" Alan inquired.

Carter leaned in to kiss him. "I feel relieved." She paused. "Is that wrong?"

"I hope not, because I feel it too." Alan admitted.

"You're family's here. I'm surprised you could sleep though all that racket." Carter laughed.

Alan shrugged, "It's easy to ignore when you grow up around it. I don't even notice it anymore."

"Just promise me that we are drawing the line at two children." Carter ordered.

Alan laughed at her annoyed tone. "Agreed." He confirmed pulling her face to his.

Alan and Carter eventually braved going out into the living room. Luckily his brothers were quietly watching T.V. and ignored them.

"Tomorrow's my dad's funeral. What am I going to say?" Carter interrupted.

"You don't have to say anything." Alan reassured.

"Yes I do. He was my father. If I can't even muster up one sentence how will he know how much I miss him?" Carter argued.

"He knew you loved him. There is nothing you could say that he didn't already know." Alan breezed.

"You're right." Carter stated.

"Did Mandy tell you Kevin and her are together again?" Alan wondered.

Carter groaned, "I hope that rat drinks himself off a cliff."

"With our luck, I doubt it." Alan joked.

The rest of the day was very stressful. Carter and Alan left for her grandmother's to make memorial arrangements.

"Carter seems nice." Gordon commented.

"Yeah, they get along really well. I mean considering all that's happening." Virgil added.

"I never thought Alan would get married before any of us." John admitted. "I mean I have thought about asking Emily at least a dozen times. We are just too busy."

"I think we really screwed up with Alan." Scott confessed.

"What do you mean?" Gordon wondered.

"Guys, we didn't even know Carter and him were dating until John came to visit." Scott informed. "We just don't know him very well."

"That's not our fault. He's at school most of the year, and when he's home, he ignored us." Gordon defended.

"It's probably the age gap too. Alan is way younger than all of us. I think that's rough on him." John realized.

"We spend so much time together on missions and training. Sometimes I forget about Alan. I know that sounds mean..." Scott tensed.

"No, that's just the nature of what we do. Certain events and people in our lives suffer, because IR is time consuming." Virgil agreed.

It was around midnight that Alan stumbled in alone. He took a seat on the floor next to Scott. "Where's Carter?" Gordon worriedly asked.

"She's staying with her grandmother. I figured they could us the time alone." Alan slurred.

"Are you drunk?" Scott scolded.

"No, just extremely tired." Alan mumbled closing his eyes.

"Did you eat something?" Virgil interrogated.

Alan nodded, "Yeah, we ate."

Suddenly Alan's phone vibrated and groaned. "Hey, what's up?"

"Do you think you could come get me?" Mandy begged. "I'm at this party and there are people out front."

"Why can't Kevin take you home?" Alan harshly asked.

"Please!" Mandy whined.

"What's the address?" Alan demanded.

It took Alan fifteen minutes to convince most of his brothers to stay home. Luckily John offered to drive and stay in the car.

When Alan got to the party it took him a while to find Mandy. She has red marks forming around her wrists and neck. "Did Kevin do this?" Alan asked pointing to her arms.

"He was drunk, Alan. He didn't know what he was doing?" She cried.

"Mandy, when are you going to stop lying to yourself? You could do so much better than him. He beats you down to keep you down. It's never going to stop." Alan stated. "Where is he?"

"Alan, please, Carter would kill me..." Amanda covered.

"Where is he?" Alan said more sternly.

She shrugged, "He went upstairs with some other girl."

"Go get in the car, Mandy." Alan ordered.

Alan pushed his way through the crowd looking for Kevin. As soon as he saw him he grabbed him and threw him against a wall. "You are so pathetic." Alan hissed. "I've had enough of you beating up on my friend."

"I don't see her complaining." Kevin growled.

"Yeah, who do you think she called to give her a ride home?" Alan informed. "You ever lay a hand on her again I'll call the police."

Alan pushed him one more time before releasing him. Alan was not the violent type. He had never had any desire to punch someone until he met Kevin. It took him the entire ride to Mandy's house to calm down.

"You shouldn't have done that. Kevin already hates you." Amanda warned.

"What was I supposed to do? Let him get away with it. All he does is get drunk and hit you. When are you going to see he's a loser." Alan argued.

"When you start seeing it's none of your business." She shot back.

"It became my business when you called me for a ride home." Alan sighed. "You can't keep doing this. He's going to kill you one day."

"Now whose the drama queen?" Mandy snorted.

"That wasn't a joke. Carter is seriously worried about you. It would crush her if anything happened to you." John remained silent in the backseat taking in the conversation. It was easy for Alan to drive. He knew where Amanda lived.

"I love him, Alan. Like you and Carter love each other." Mandy chimed.

"No, if Kevin loved you he wouldn't hit you every time you turn him down. He's got you so twisted you can't even get what Carter and I are trying to tell you." Alan stated calmly. "That's not love, Mandy. That's control."

It seemed like only a few minutes had passed since they'd left the party. Amanda's house didn't seem too far to John. "Thank you. Tell Carter I'll call her." She said before getting out.

"Can you drive? I think I might crash." Alan laughed.

"Yeah, you okay?" John wondered.

"I'm just scared for her." Alan confessed.

"You did the best think any friend could have done. You told her the truth." John offered.

"The truth doesn't help someone if they refuse to listen." Alan mumbled.

John dropped the conversation for the night. He was really proud of Alan. John drove Alan back home and then headed to the hotel. He figured Alan wouldn't miss his car for the night.

When John walked into the door he was amazed to find all his brothers and his dad still awake. "What happened?" Jeff asked.

"I went with Alan to pick up his friend from a party." John said dropping the keys on the table and having a seat.

"We know that part." Gordon clarified. "We meant what happened at the party."

"Alan went in to get Amanda. Apparently, Kevin, Amanda's boyfriend is abusive. Alan and him almost got into a fight. Then Alan tried to talk some sense into her on the way home." John paraphrased.

"Is Alan okay?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, other than being tired and annoyed he's fine." John informed. "I was so proud of him."

"Proud of him? For almost getting in a fight?" Jeff scolded.

"You guys should've heard the way he talked to this girl. Amanda is a mess. It looked like this guy has choked her, or something. Alan just kept his cool. He told her how worried Carter and him were about her. It was seriously the best pep talk I've ever heard." John laughed.

"So this girl lets her boyfriend get drunk and beat up on her?" Virgil said looking repulsed.

John nodded, "This guy has this girl so mixed up, it's sick."

Then John's phone rang. "Hey sprout, I thought you'd be asleep."

Alan groaned, "I'm way too aggravated to sleep. Did you take my car?"

"Yeah, sorry. I thought you would be zonked out by now." John chuckled.

"Are you guys still up?" Alan pondered hearing noise in the background.

"Yep, they waited up for me to hear the drama." John joked.

"Can one of you guys come pick me up? I am never going to get to sleep tonight." Alan muttered.

Alan was surprised when Gordon came to get him. "Hey, squirt."

**Please Review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 12**

Alan was surprised when Gordon came to get him. "Hey, squirt."

"Will you guys stop calling me that. You know how much I hate it." Alan argued.

"Okay maybe you should stay here and sleep." Gordon offered.

"Sorry, it's been a long day." Alan apologized. "Actually it's been a long month."

Gordon nodded, "Are you okay?"

"I wish everyone would stop asking me if I'm okay." Alan sighed.

"What is your problem?" Gordon hollered pulling the car over. "We're just worried about you."

"Worried about me? You guys haven't given a crap about anything I did up until now!" Alan said getting out of the car and slamming the door.

Gordon got out of the car and grabbed his brother's arm. "Alan, get back in the car so we can talk about this." He ordered.

"Don't touch me." Alan said pulling his hand out of his brother's grasp.

Gordon turned around trying to get a grip on his anger. "Alan, I'm sorry." Gordon shouted.

Instantly there was the insistent sound of screeching tires and honking. Before Gordon could grab his brother a car crashed into him. When the car came to a stop Gordon ran to his brother. Alan was lying on the ground unconscious.

"Alan?" Gordon asked checking for a pulse. "Alan?"

"I'm so sorry, dude. He came out of nowhere." The driver was mumbling.

"Don't just stand there call an 911." Gordon ordered.

While the ambulance was coming Gordon did his best to assess his brother's injuries. It was hard to do. Alan was covered in blood and had several gashes. When the EMT's arrived Gordon did his best to give them room to work. He knew what it was like to have people crowding around. At the hospital Gordon called his dad and brothers. His dad was awake, but his brothers had gone to bed.

"Have you heard anything?" Scott asked worriedly.

Gordon shook his head. "Is that Alan's blood?" Virgil wondered.

Gordon nodded, "We were fighting. I pulled the car over and he got out. There was barely any traffic. I turn around for a second and he's down."

"Gordon, this wasn't your fault. It could have happened to any of us." John comforted.

"How did he look when the EMT's brought him back?" Jeff interrogated.

"I don't know. He was losing a lot of blood." Gordon sighed.

"You should take a shower. I'll give you a lift back to the hotel. We can pick up the rental car on the way." Scott offered.

"No, I want to stay here." Gordon insisted.

"Gordon, you're in shock and you're covered in blood. We aren't going to get any news in the next hour. You should go." Virgil urged.

Gordon nodded and Scott followed him out of the waiting room. "I'm going to call Aunt Mary. I think she's our best shot of getting Carter here." John said pulling out his phone.

Around an hour later Gordon and Scott came back and there was still no word.

"Excuse me I was hoping you could give me some information on my son?" Jeff asked the desk nurse.

"Name?" She asked.

"Alan Tracy, he was hit by a car." Jeff informed.

"According to the doctor's records he is out of surgery and in recovery. I will page the doctor to let him know you are here. He'll know more about your son's condition." The nurse smiled and continued to type.

"Family of Alan Tracy." The doctor announced.

"How is he?" Jeff begged.

"My name is Dr. Harris. I'm Alan's residential physician. I was David Murphy's doctor as well." Dr. Harris explained.

"Is he okay?" John worried.

"Alan is very lucky. An impact such as this could have cause severe internal bleeding and concussion. Thankfully, Alan only has three fractured ribs on his right side, a dislocated right shoulder, and a minor concussion. He lost a fair amount of blood, but we were able to give him a transfusion quickly. Alan is going to be sore, but he will be fine. He should be able to go home tomorrow if all looks well." Dr. Harris informed.

When Gordon entered Alan's hospital room he was scared. What if his brother blamed him.

"Hey sprout. How are you feeling?" Scott asked.

"Like I was hit by a car." Alan snapped.

"Alan, I said I was sorry." Gordon apologized.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped like that." Alan admitted.

"The doctor said you have a few fractured ribs and a dislocated shoulder." Jeff sighed.

"What the hell were you thinking Allie? You know better than to walk in the middle of a street." Scott lectured.

Virgil shook his head. "Scott, I don't think now's the best time."

"Why do you always stick up for him?" Scott argued.

Alan had never seen Virgil so mad. "Because you won't let him."

"Will you all leave?" Alan interrupted. "I have a huge headache."

Alan couldn't believe how clueless his family was when it came to him. Alan hated fighting. All his family ever did was argue over the best way to raise and baby him. Alan was turning eighteen in a week. When was his family going to realize he isn't a kid?

"I was so scared when Mary called me!" Carter gushed hugging him.

"I'm fine. The doctor said I should be out of here tomorrow." Alan comforted.

"Your family seemed worked up. Did y'all fight again?" Carter inquired.

Alan nodded wincing as his shoulder ached. "I thought we were getting somewhere. Even my dad and I were getting alone. Then I blinked and I'm back to the same little kid in their eyes." Alan huffed.

"Were you fighting with them when you got hit?" Carter asked sitting on the bed next to her boyfriend.

Alan sighed, "Yeah, it was with Gordon."

"I'm sure you were both tired." She justified stroking his hair.

"Doesn't matter. Soon we will be going to school and my family will be far away." Alan dreamed.

"I thought you guys were making progress?" Carter pondered.

Alan shrugged with his good shoulder. "I'm not a miracle worker. I can't make them like me."

Gordon waited out in the hallway leaning against a wall. How could Alan think they didn't care about him? Gordon was going to have a long talk with his brother.

**Please Review! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 13**

"Hey, Sprout! How's the head?" Scott asked noticing his brothers expression.

"I think I have a migraine." Alan admitted.

"Have you told the doctor?" Virgil interrogated.

Alan nodded wincing in pain. "Did Carter go back to her grandmothers?" He asked ignoring Virgil's question.

Scott shrugged, "I think she needed some sleep."

"Good, I didn't want her freaking out." Alan sighed.

"I'll go find a doctor." Virgil insisted.

"You really shouldn't have waited to tell us this Alan. You have a concussion. This could be a symptom of severe trauma." Scott scolded.

"I know, but Carter has enough on her plate right now." Alan argued.

"I'm not going to fight with you, Alan." Scott huffed.

"Why not? Isn't that what you and Dad are best at, bossing me around?" Alan snapped.

"We just want what's best for you. Since when is caring about your son or brother a crime?" Scott rebutted.

The silence seemed to drag on as they waited for the doctor.

"I'm sorry I go off on y'all all the time. You don't deserve it. I just wanted you guys to accept me so bad. Then when I graduated it was like my entire word collapsed." Alan paused. "I had no outlet other than y'all and I snapped."

"Then I think you should know that Dad didn't make that decision, because of your maturity level. Dad trusts you. He said no because we weren't ready for you to grow up." Scott informed. "You grow up fast being in IR."

Alan sat and let his brother's words sink in. His head was pounding so hard it was hard for him to keep his eyes open. The pain was blinding.

"How is he?" Jeff blurted as the doctor entered the waiting room. It had been hours since Alan had the seizure. It scared Scott to death. One minute Alan and him were talking, then Alan went stiff.

"Alan is recovering well. We did a CT scan and a few other neurological and eye exams. It appears that there is some hemorrhaging in his frontal cortex. The bleeding isn't extensive, but I am still going to put him on anti-consultants to prevent seizures and corticosteroids to treat the swelling. We're going to keep an a close eye on him for a few days and go from there." The doctor stated. "Do you have any questions?"

"Is there anything we can do for him? What should we look for?" Gordon asked worriedly.

"The best thing for Alan right now is to rest. Try to keep him calm and limit his stress." Doctor Harris guided.

The next few days were uneasy for everyone. Carter had been sleeping at the hospital. It took an hour of begging to get her to go home with Gordon. They had both been driving themselves crazy. Gordon felt guilty and Carter was scared.

"Where's Carter?" Alan groaned waking up.

"Dad forced Gordon and her to go home and get some sleep." Virgil whispered.

"My head hurts." Alan complained.

"The doctor said it would take a few days for the swelling to go down." Virgil said taking a deep breath.

"Is Dad mad at me?" Alan wondered.

John and Virgil shared a stunned glance. "No, why do you ask?"

Alan shrugged, "I just haven't seen him in a while."

"Dad is with Carter's grandmother making the memorial preparations." John informed.

Alan suddenly started to get up. Virgil and John grabbed his arms and pulled him back down. "Calm down, Sprout." John reassured.

"Let go of me." Alan ordered.

"No!" Virgil commanded. "You need to lay down before you hurt yourself."

Alan did as he was told unhappily. "I should be with Carter."

"Alan, Carter understands why you need to be here." John agreed. "Take care of yourself for once."

The next few days moved by at a crawl. Alan was getting more fidgety by the minute.

"How are you feeling today, Alan?" Dr. Harris inquired.

"Great! Does that mean I can go home now?" Alan snapped.

Jeff harshly glared at his son. "He had a headache earlier." Scott interrupted.

"That was only because you were in the room. In fact it's coming back. I might nickname it family." Alan argued.

"Do you gentlemen mind if I have a few words alone with my patient?" Dr. Harris asked.

Jeff and the boys filed out of the room eyeing Alan suspiciously. "How does your head feel now?" The doctor inspected.

"It feels better than it did. I think I'm just bored and worried." Alan admitted.

"I am going to have the nurse come prep you for another CT scan. If everything looks good I don't see why you shouldn't go home tomorrow. I'll let you know as soon as I look over the results." Dr. Harris confirmed. "Would you like me to put a limit on the number of visitors your allowed to have?"

"You can do that?" Alan jumped.

"If having so many visitors is stressful than I can." The doctor concluded.

Carter came to visit that afternoon. "Your brothers said your coming home tomorrow." She commented.

Alan nodded, "Yeah, it's good that I'll be out for the memorial."

"About that," Carter paused. "I think you should stay home and rest tomorrow."

"No, I want to be there for you." Alan disagreed. "Where is this coming from?"

"It's nothing. We thought it would be better if you rested." Carter breezed.

"We? So now my family is pressuring you!" Alan hollered.

"They just want you to play it safe for a while." Carter reasoned.

Alan shook his head angrily. "How is sitting in a pew at the memorial not safe?"

Carter rolled her eye. "I'm really not sure. They're worried about you."

Alan got out of bed and stormed into the waiting room. "You had no right to drag Carter into our problems!" He shouted at his father.

"Alan, you need to get back to bed." Jeff insisted.

"Not until you tell me why you conned Carter into being your messager!" Alan yelled.

"We thought that you might be more accepting of the idea if Carter asked." John confessed.

Virgil sighed, "I told you all this would happen."

"When are you going to learn that I don't need you anymore? In fact I never needed you. I'm actually thrilled you shipped me off to boarding school every year. That way I learned I could never rely on you." Alan stated coldly before walking out of the room. Carter followed after him to make sure he was okay.

"He's just angry, Dad." Gordon comforted. "You know how Alan is when he gets worked up."

"Still doesn't make it right." Scott added.

"Alan, doesn't say what he's feeling until someone hurts him. Then he releases a bombshell of repressed feelings." Virgil explained.

"I've lost him." Jeff whispered.

"There is time to repair your relationship with Alan. I did. It's amazing how easy it is to talk to him when you give him some space." John offered.

"He needs you more than he knows." Scott encouraged.

**Please Review! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds or its characters!**

**Chapter 14**

"I'm sorry you had to postpone the funeral." Alan apologized.

Carter hugged him. "It's not your fault."

Alan leaned down to kiss her passionately. "I love you," He whispered.

Carter kissed him back. "You need to sleep. I'll be in the living room if you need me." She smiled.

"How does he feel?" Mary inquired.

Carter sighed, "Better, I convinced him to get some sleep before the funeral."

"He's going to need it." Mary concluded.

Later that afternoon was the memorial ceremony. It was nice and small. Just like Carter's father wanted. Alan held Carter's hand through the entire memorial.

"Are you not hungry?" Alan asked Carter at the reception.

Carter shook her head. "Are you?"

"Not really." Alan confirmed.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Carter said bringing his lips to hers.

Alan wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted. He was happy to remain this way forever.

Someone in close proximity to them cleared their throat loudly. Alan and Carter quickly pulled away.

"Dad, we are busy. Do you need something?" Alan snapped rudely.

Carter slapped his shoulder. "Be nice." She lectured. "I'm going to find my brother. You two talk."

"You two haven't..." Jeff hesitated.

"That's not your business." Alan rebutted angrily.

"Yes it is Alan. You will always be my son." Jeff argued.

Alan refused to answer. He knew if he opened his mouth he would start a fight.

"Alan, I know you and Carter are serious. I just want you to think before you let your hormones get in the way. You're only seventeen. There is plenty of time for you to be with Carter in that way." Jeff explained.

"I'll be eighteen next week." Alan reasoned.

"I'm sorry I brought Carter into our issues. You listen to her without hesitation. I thought if she wanted you to stay home you would." Jeff stated.

"I know you guys were just trying to protect me. But I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I need you to trust me to run my own life." Alan continued pushing down his tears. "I hate fighting with you over the dumbest things. My biggest fear is that one of our fights is going to permanently ruin our relationship."

"I will never give up on you Alan. We both say things that we regret. From now on let's just try to listen before we start throwing blame." Jeff compromised hugging his son.

"I think Carter and I should go back to the island with you guys until school starts." Alan admitted.

Jeff smiled placing a hand on Alan's shoulder. "Does Carter know about us?"

Alan nodded, "At first I questioned telling her. Then her dad got sick and I knew she needed to know before we went further."

"Do you know when you're going to propose?" Jeff eyed his son nervously.

Alan wasn't entirely sure his family was comfortable with him getting engaged. Jeff was a traditionalist.

"Yea, I think I decided to it while we're visiting. I guess I'll just wait for the right moment." Alan informed.

"It's good that your letting things settle a little. Losing a father can't be easy for Carter." Jeff acknowledged.

After the reception was over Carter and Alan headed over to sort through some of Dave's belongings. Carter wasn't keeping much.

"Alan?" Carter questioned in curiosity.

Alan was in the other room still going through boxes. "Did you call me?" He asked meeting Carter in her father's old office.

"I found this crammed in my dad's seat. It has your name on it." Carter said staring him down.

"Oh yeah, he told me about this. It's just the information on the house. I looked for it, but it didn't turn up." Alan lied.

Thankfully, Carter shrugged before returning to work. Alan was so glad he had just stumbled across the house deeds in one of the boxes he was sorting through. As soon as he was out of earshot Alan opened up the note Dave had left him. The crumbled paper read;

_Take the risk._

Carter's father was so cryptic it made him chuckle to himself. Dave must have known Alan would wait before asking Carter.

"I think Winston should stay with my grandmother. He's too old to fly and my brother would miss him." Carter said walking into the room. "What do you think?"

Alan hesitated cramming the note into his back pocket. "Yeah, I think your brother needs Winston here." He agreed calmly.

It felt like the entire day had blown away by the time Carter left for her grandmothers. She desperately wanted to spend one last night with her brother before leaving. After finishing a few things at Carter's Alan headed home too. His head was pounding and he desperately wanted to take his medications and pass out.

"How were things at Carter's?" Mary asked noticing his tense demeanor.

"We got it all done." Alan mumbled.

"Did ask Dr. Harris if it's safe for you to be on a plane at the service?" Mary reminded.

Alan nodded, "Yeah, he said as long as I'm taking my medicine I should be fine. I'll probably get a headache though."

"Good that's one thing scratched off your father's insanely long overbearing list of duties." Mary laughed.

Alan was glad he was coming back to Galveston. He loves spending time with his aunt. Galveston felt like home now.

The following day was long. Jeff thought it would be better for Alan if they broke the longer flights up. Being up in the air for long amounts of time was giving Alan a migraine. The more time he spent on the ground the better.

"How does your head feel?" Virgil asked for the thousandth time since they landed.

"I just want to get home so I can sleep." Alan said rubbing his hands over his face.

Virgil gave Alan something to help with the pressure before the next flight. It made him sleep all the way to Tracy Island. Which Alan was thankful for. Especially, when he woke up with Carter next him in his old room.

"Good morning," Carter greeted kissing him.

"I thought my dad would have made you sleep in your own room." Alan chuckled.

"Oh, he did. I just tiptoed through down the hall this morning." Carter smiled mischievously. "I had to make sure I kissed the princess before the evil witch got to him."

"Don't you mean prince? I'm a guy." Alan corrected.

"Shh..." Carter said putting her hand over his mouth. "This is a covert operation! What part of sneaking in did you miss?"

Scott was happy that Alan had finally talked to Dad and decided to come home. The island wasn't the same without him.

"Have you seen Alan this morning?" Virgil asked before taking a bite out of the apple he was carrying. "I wanted to make sure he was feeling better."

"Nope, but I'm pretty sure he's with Carter. Tin Tin said she wasn't in her room this morning." Scott advised.

"Guys, Alan hasn't left his room this morning. I checked before I came down here." Gordon laughed thinking about the teenagers rebellion.

The boys had known their dad was worried about Alan and Carter sleeping in the same room. He had made that perfectly clear when he interrogated Scott. 'Is Alan having sex?', 'How often do they kiss like that?', 'Is there any supervision at Mary's house at all?', 'Have you talked with him about being responsible?'. Scott had always had his suspicions, but knew it would piss Alan off if he got involved.

Carter had kissed Alan when his brothers started banging on the door. "Now you know why our limit is two kids." Carter smirked opening the door. "Preferably girls."

"What were you and Carter doing upstairs this morning?" John interrogated while Alan finished his lunch.

Alan shrugged, "We were only talking."

Gordon snorted, "In that case I need to do more _talking_."

Virgil shot his younger brother a nasty look. "Allie, you know how Dad feels about Carter and you being in bed together. It was different when she was upset. Now it just looks like you two are messing around." Scott stated rationally.

"Why should it matter what it looks like? We're getting engaged soon anyway." Alan justified.

"It matters because this is Dad's house. He makes the rules. Dad made his feelings on this matter perfectly clear." Scott argued.

"Okay, then why doesn't he get mad at Gordon for bring girls home?" Alan jabbed.

"Because I'm in my twenties and I don't mess around with girls at home. You and Carter are not eighteen and you are not married. That's a big deal for Dad." Gordon pointed out. "I'm honestly surprised he's taking the engagement so well."

John chuckled, "Me too. I thought Dad was going to fight you on that. Not that he could change your mind anyway."

"Back on topic," Virgil interrupted. "I think it scares Dad that you and Carter are close enough to consider having sex."

"No, I think it scares Dad that he cannot tell if you two are having sex." Scott explained.

"If this is your way of getting me to confess it isn't going to work. It no one's business, but me and Carter." Alan stated stubbornly.

John sighed, "See now I understand why Dad is so concerned. It's comments like that. You sound like there actually is something to hide. If there wasn't then you'd probably just deny it. I mean that's what you did the first time I asked you, when I came down for a visit."

Alan rolled his eyes annoyingly. His father had his brothers on digging duty. Which meant they were going to make his life hell until they found the truth.

"Sorry, your brother's gave you so much grief." Carter apologized.

She took his hand as they walked down the beach. "Yeah, I'm so nervous they're going to find out I'm getting all itchy." Alan admitted.

"What?" Carter asked sharply.

Alan continued to scratch his outer thigh through his pants. "You probably just have sand in your pocket, idiot. Did you shake your clothes before you put them on after swimming?" Carter said reaching into his packet and pulling out the ring.

"This was my grandmothers. How did you get it?" Carter cried.

"Your father gave it to me. He left it in his desk a few month ago." Alan enlightened taking the ring from Carter and getting down on his knee. "Will you marry me?"

Carter threw Alan a shocked look. "No, you've had this ring for months. I can't believe you waited this long." She said sarcastically. "It hurts."

"And you say I'm the dramatic one." Alan claimed slipping the ring on her finger. "I love you."

"Who doesn't love me? I'm totally adorable." Carter laughed wrapping her arms around his neck.

Alan kissed her before she would continue babbling. Alan and Carter spent the entire day exploring the island and the beach.

**Please Review! **


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